Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 15. LIFE AFTER DEATH AND REBIRTH
But it was utterly unscientific to accept something before one had fully investigated it from all sides.
If someone wants to be scientific, he should say that he wants to enquire whether the theory of
reincarnation is true or not. If he is going to prove rebirth, it means that he already believes it to be
a fact and not a fiction.
As far as this person is concerned, the matter is already a proven fact for him and he has only
to produce some cogent arguments in its support. And arguments can easily be collected and
produced; it is not that difficult. If you want to prove the theory of rebirth you can find any number
of arguments in its favor. This world is so vast and complex and paradoxical that you can gather all
kinds of arguments and evidence for or against anything that you choose to support or demolish.
Philosophy will never be able to prove or disprove rebirth. So if you make a slight shift in your
question, you should ask whether science can shed some light on this very ancient debate.
Philosophy has failed, and failed utterly. It has been debating this question for five thousand years
and nothing has been solved. There are people who believe in rebirth and there are equal numbers
who don’t believe in it. And no side has been able to convince the other side of the validity of its
standpoint.
It is ironical that you can convince only one who is already convinced; you cannot convince the
unconvinced. This is logic’s impotence, which it fails to see. You can easily convince a Hindu of the
truth of rebirth, because it is part of his belief system. But you will know how impotent logic is when
you try to convince a Mohammedan of the truth of this theory. You can easily convince a Christian
that there is no rebirth, but you cannot convince a Hindu that it is a fiction. Logic is a skill which
works well for those who use it to prove something which they believe to be true. Therefore it is not
a right question to ask if rebirth can be proved philosophically. The right question is Is there a way
to approach the question of rebirth scientifically?
Science is pure enquiry; it is objective and impartial. While philosophy and logic have their
standpoints for or against a belief, a proposition, science has none. A scientific mind means that it
is open and impartial; it wants to find the truth, it is open to both the alternatives, both sides of a
thing; it is not closed. Science does not depend on belief. It wants to investigate into the truth or
otherwise of a hypothesis. Science is the only discipline prepared to re-examine its own findings
and conclusions. Science is prepared for any possibility that an objective enquiry and investigation
can lead to.
Science has only recently begun to take interest in matters like reincarnation. It is only fifty years
since psychic societies came into being in America and Europe, and they have done some good
work in this direction. A handful of intelligent people with a scientific bent have interested themselves
is psychic research. They are not mystics, who have said for a long time that things like life-afterdeath
and rebirth are facts which they have known from experience but cannot prove with arguments.
The mystics say anyone can know these things if he goes through a certain meditative discipline,
but they cannot make you know what it is. It is like I have a headache and I know what it is, but I
cannot make you know it. You will know it only when your own heal starts aching. I can do nothing
to communicate my headache experience to you.
For the last fifty years men like Oliver Lodge, Broad, and Rhine have explored some new frontiers
of the human mind. They are all men of scientific persuasions they don’t have any beliefs and
Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy 293 Osho